Nico and the Weird Mortal Movie
by XxTheShadowAlchemistxX
Summary: In which Hades decides he wants to rule, and now Nico is torn between friends and family. **Important: The weird mortal movie is NOT the PJO movies, the title is just a random reference from chapter 3**
1. 1: No, I don't want to play volleyball

**A/N: Sooo I have decided to post a fanfiction I've been writing, I will update on Sundays.**

Nico was dining peacefully by himself at his table in the dining hall. Which, as can be guessed, meant the war was over, and everyone was thankfully still alive.

The Romans had finally made their stupid peace, ending the stupid feud. Octavian was actually banished, for he had directly disobeyed all three praetors. Actually, that issue had been resolved, and fairly easily by Roman standards. When Percy appointed Frank to be praetor, he had renounced his own role, so now the two leaders of New Rome were Reyna and Frank. Jason had kinda lost his lead when Reyna appointed Percy, so Jason wasn't an issue. He was fine with it, of course.

Jason was actually staying at Camp Half-blood now, in the Zeus cabin. He decided that was where he belonged. He didn't mention it, but Nico along with everyone else knew a big part of his decision was the fact that Piper was here.

All of the couples had been almost completely inseparable since they defeated Gaea, of course nobody had any idea of how they defeated the goddess in the first place. Nico had been with Reyna, ending the conflict between the two camps, so he missed most if not all of the details. The seven did not like to talk about it.

They had changed, though nobody really knew why. They all had different methods of coping with whatever it was they went through. Annabeth and Piper were both very quiet now and didn't talk much, preferring to be alone. Percy now reminded people of Leo, being much less serious about everything, and doing his best to make people laugh.

Leo had just turned up his charm, trying even harder than before to make sure everyone was happy, all the time. Jason hadn't changed much either, still acting like he was responsible for everything and everyone. Like a leader.

As for Nico's sister and her boyfriend, they hadn't been seen much. They had returned to New Rome almost immediately, and Nico had not visited them yet. Percy had insisted that Nico stay at camp year-round, but there wasn't much hope of that.

It had only been a week, though.

Nico finished his breakfast, which had consisted of a bagel and a pomegranate. Though the fruit of his father often brought back memories of his time in a jar, he still made sure to eat one every day out of respect. He was a son of Hades, after all.

"Nico!" Somebody called. Not just anyone, though. Percy. Nico turned to see him, with Annabeth at his side (of course). "We were wondering, do you want to go play volleyball or something? With us and Jason, Piper, and Leo?" Oh, great, Nico thought sarcastically.

"I, uh, I'm, going to... Um, take Mrs. O'Leary for a walk." Nico finished. He didn't want to be around so many people, much less play an actual sport. Even though he was fit, and could sword fight and such, he really didn't like sports.

"Ok..." Percy said, but the Ghost King was already speed-walking away. He could have shadow traveled, sure, but that would seem suspicious. Ah, well, Nico shrugged.

His feet ended up taking him to the woods, and just as well, with the excuse he had given Percy.

Nico sighed, might as well check if there was any news from the underworld. He pulled out a six pack of chicken nuggets from his coat pocket, took a bite of one, and placed them on the ground.

He was so practiced that by now he didn't even have to say anything to summon the undead. Nico liked to think that whenever they smelled McDonald's on the ground, they knew it was him.

So now there was a half decayed skeleton standing in front of the Ghost King.

"My lord." He bowed.

"What is your name?" Nico asked.

"Dimitri." The undead man answered.

"Well, Dimitri, have any news of the underworld?" Nico never was one for any small talk.

"I do not think that I am supposed to say... The undead do not speak about it." Dimitri seemed very reluctant to talk, but that just made Nico roll his eyes, not swayed in the slightest.

"Tell me." Nico growled.

"Hades has been refusing to speak to anyone but Persephone, and she's in the mortal world for the summer. The dead are getting anxious. Perhaps, if it's not to much to ask, my lord, you could see him?" Dimitri spoke quickly, and held his hand in a salute while he talked. Nico sighed.

"I could try, but I was going to visit my sister today." Nico explained, and he wasn't really in the mood to talk to his father. "Dimitri, you are dismissed."

The skeleton faded back into the ground with a small sigh of relief.

That was odd, Nico thought. That ghost certainly hadn't told him everything.

"Well," Nico sighed. "Off to see my sister... and her boyfriend..."


	2. 2: Sister Dearest

**A/N: I know it's not Sunday yet, but I couldn't wait!**

Hazel Levesque.

Daughter of Pluto.

Daughter of "Queen Marie".

Girlfriend of Frank Zhang.

Nico's sister.

When Nico was released from the shadows he found himself in Pluto's temple, located in New Rome. His eyes instantly adjusted to the gloom in the place, and were immediately drawn to a figure huddled at the base of the steps.

"Hey!" Nico called, making the person jump.

"Gosh, Nico! Don't scare me like that!" It was Hazel herself, incidentally. Well, she was the only one that ever went into the Pluto shrine, so it made sense that she was here.

"Just thought I'd pop in, see how things are going." Nico explained. Hazel straightened, and wiped a hand across her face. With a start Nico realized that she had been crying.

"Yeah, things are going great." Hazel sniffed. Nico walked over to her so he could see her eyes.

"And that's why you're crying? Because everything is great?" Nico knew exactly what it was like to be sad and crying, then to lie about it. All of his sympathies were with his sister.

"No, don't worry about it, I was just thinking about my life before I died. You know, Sammy and my mom, and how miserable I had been back then. But my life hasn't gotten much better, has it?" Hazel's voice broke on that last bit. Nico awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, because even though he had been through this himself, he had no idea how to comfort others. Perhaps because nobody had ever been there to comfort him.

"Have you talked to Frank about this at all?" Nico knew how close they were, and had assumed they shared everything. Apparently not.

"No, I didn't want to trouble him. He's been so busy lately, running the entire legion. It must be so awful, i can't even imagine. Everyone assuming you know everything, expecting you to lead correctly. Just awful." Hazel seemed slightly delirious from Nico's point of view. He wondered when last she slept.

So he asked her. "Hazel, when was the last time you got a good night's rest?"

"Well, not recently, I keep having nightmares." She admitted.

"Oh. Well, do you, um... Share a bed... With Frank?" Nico asked, a tint of red appearing in his face.

"No, of course not!" Hazel said it as if it were the most scandalous thing in the world. Actually, since she was from the twenties, it probably was.

"Sorry, sorry, forget I said that." More red tinged Nico's face.

"So, um... Do you want to talk about the nightmares?" Nico tried.

"They're mostly about our uh, Dad. Pluto. Or, you know, Hades." Hazel admitted.

"Oh? I've had a couple nightmares about that, too." It was normal for kids of the god of the underworld to have nightmares. That's why Nico never slept.

"I've never even met the guy though! I mean, yeah once but I didn't know him or really talk to him!" Hazel despaired.

"Well, I'm gonna go get Frank." Nico said. He turned and walked of to the doorway, looking at Hazel over his shoulder. He was worried, but still unsure of what to do. His last hope was Frank.

So lost in his thoughts, Nico didn't see the undead skeleton until he bumped into him. Literally.

"Sor- Dimitri?" Nico said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

The skeleton shrugged. "Just came to uh, I dunno. Check up on you. And your sister."

Nico frowned in confusion, but decided warning Hazel was more important than retrieving Frank. "Yeah, alright." He turned back into the doorway, almost jogging over to Hazel.

"I thought you were getting Frank." She said.

"Yeah, I got sidetracked. There's a skeleton named Dimitri, says he's here to 'check up' on us." Nico explained quickly, but quietly. Dimitri was still right outside the door.

Actually, no. Now he was inside the door.

"Nico, Hazel. Good to see you." Dimitri said, acknowledging each demigod with a nod.

"Dimitri, does this have something to do with what we were talking about earlier?" Nico asked.

"Well, yes. Smart boy." Dimitri smirked, his decaying flesh hanging off his face. Nico could tell that Dimitri was acting differently from this morning, so either that had been an act or he was acting now.

"See, I spoke with your father-"

"I thought you said he refused to speak to anyone!" Nico shouted.

"And then I requested, said it would interest him, and he accepted. Surprised me, too. Said if I could get you two to him he would reward me." Dimitri said. The skeleton advanced upon them, something evil in his undead zombie eyes.

"Listen, Dimitri, I was going to go talk to him later today, I swear. No need to be hasty." Nico said, hands splayed in front of him.

"We need Frank." Hazel whispered.

"No, I have it under control." Nico whispered back.

"You know, I may be dead, but I'm not deaf." Dimitri hadn't slowed, he was more than halfway to them.

"You know, you could always just ask." Hazel said. She drew her sword, ready to defend. Nico took the hint and pulled his black Stygian iron sword from its sheathe.

"How boring would that be?" Dimitri asked sarcastically.

The children of the Underworld leapt into battle, slashing and jabbing with their weapons. Nico had considered shadow traveling away, but that would leave the issue of an angry skeleton in the middle of the Roman camp. Which, you know, wasn't really a good thing.

One skeleton didn't stand a chance against two demigods. Nico had barely blinked before Dimitri became golden dust, swept away in the wind.

The wind blew through the doorway, whistling in the silence that had fallen.

"Well that was... Anticlimactic." Hazel commented. Nico gave a nod in return.

"Should we go find Frank? Let him know?" Nico asked.

"Probably, the Praetor of New Rome would want to know about a skeleton trying to abduct children." Hazel said with a small grin.

"Yeah." Nico said, straight faced. The two walked out of the shrine to Pluto and down the cobblestone street.

"So, you never told me why you're here." Hazel prodded.

"Ah, just came to visit, see how things are going." Nico stated.

"Really? Are you sure?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah, we havent really talked much since you got back." Nico explained.

"Nothing's happened, really. Everthing's been really calm, actually." Hazel said.

"Hey, after we talk to Frank, maybe we could go see good ol' Dad." Nico suggested.

"That's probably a good idea, we don't want anymore skeleton visitors." Hazel agreed.

"Yeah, and knowing Dad, he will keep sending them." Nico commented.

The two demigods traveled down the street in silence. Before long, they stood in front of the building they would find Frank and Reyna in.

Nico knocked on the large decorative door, and stepped back to wait patiently.

Finally, a familiar face opened the door. "Hello?" it was Reyna. She opened the door further upon seeing her guests.

"Hey, Reyna." Nico said. "Long time no see."

"oh, hello Nico, Hazel." Reyna greeted.

"We need to tell you and Frank something." Hazel said.

"Of course you do. Come on in." She swept her arm through the air, gesturing them inside.

They walked over to a large table where Frank was sitting, obviously bored. He looked over and saw Hazel. His demeanor changed to something similar to a puppy when its family gets home from work.

"Hazel! Its been forever!" Frank said.

"I talked with you this morning." Hazel said happily.

"I know, but I'm so bored!" At this remark, Reyna rolled her eyes.

"Frank, you are a Praetor. Being bored is not in the job description." She said slowly.

"Alright, enough with the chitchat, we have something important to say." Nico said, exasperated.

"Right. Well, what is it?" Reyna asked.

"A skeleton attacked us while we were in our father's temple. Can we go now?" Nico explained.

"Did you take care of the skeleton?" Reyna asked.

"Yeah."

"Then you may go." Reyna dismissed. Nico sighed happily and turned to walk away. He sensed Hazel wasn't following.

"Coming, Hazel?" He called.

"Yeah, yeah." The daughter of Pluto stood up quickly and easily caught up to her older brother. The two walked out of the central dome of the city and back out into the morning sunlight. It was about the same time in New Rome now as it had been when Nico woke up in New York. Time differences are weird. Eh, whatever.

"You don't have to come, if you don't want." Nico said suddenly.

"What?" Hazel asked.

"If you don't want to see Dad then you don't have to." Nico explained.

"Oh, no. I'm still coming. You shouldn't have to go alone." Hazel stated.

"It's just Dad." Nico pointed out.

"It's just Hades." Hazel corrected. Nico didn't respond. He knew his relationship with his father wasn't that bad, for demigod standards. Though sometimes he felt like an errand boy, at least he talked to his father fairly often and got attention and appreciation. Sometimes. Come to think of it, the last time Nico can remember genuinely smiling with happiness was when Hades had said he was proud, after defeating Kronos.

The two children of Hades eventually reached a dark place where they wouldn't be seen and consequently questioned. Nico pulled the shadows around himself and his sister and transported them with a rush of adrenaline and darkness.


	3. 3: Father Dearest Says What?

**A/N: So, I have learned that I cannot follow a simple schedule. I wanted to update on Sundays, but then I got anxious and updated on Thursday. Then I thouBut here I am, on Monday, its been 4 days since last update, but... I'm gonna post chapter 3 anyways. Its where stuff actually gets good. I honestly cringe when I read the first two chapters.**

Hades.

Pluto.

Lord of the Underworld.

Lord of the dead.

Nico's father.

In no time, the underworld had living visitors. Which would have been strange, if the visitors hadn't been Lord Hades' children.

"Please, master!" A random spirit wailed. "End my suffering! I don't deserve to be here!" Nico sighed and shook his leg free of the ghost. He kept Hazel almost uncomfortably close throughout the journey to the castle. She didn't need to be pestered as he always was.

The spirits seemed fond of Nico. Many similar incidents of groveling, begging, and clinging were shaken off with a couple of well worded threats. Strangely, none bothered Hazel. It was as if she were invisible to them, or maybe because Nico seemed more likely to be a child of Hades. Or maybe he just gave the 'I-will-kill-you-again-if-you-bother-her' vibe. Nico didn't know.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nico noticed a Fury, probably Alecto, fly off one of the poplar trees into the distance.

"Well, if we had wanted to surprise Dad, that's out." He muttered.

"What?" Hazel asked.

"Did you see the Fury-"

"Fury?"

"Yeah, Dad's personal servants. The things that look a tiny bit like harpies. Anyway, one just took off to the castle." Nico explained. It occurred to him that Hazel had never seen a Fury. Lucky her.

"Hey, Nico?" Hazel asked.

"Yes?"

"If Dad sees me, won't he have Thanatos or someone send me back to, you know, being dead?" Hazel brought up a good point. Nico had also been wondering that, but he had come to a conclusion.

"I don't think he would miss the chance to have another kid. The more illegal children, the better." Nico explained. "Just a theory, by the way. Don't blame me if it goes south."

"Goes south?"

"Don't worry, If worst comes to worst I'll talk some sense into him." Nico put a hand on his sword. "Also, I got this bad boy." He tried to mimic Leo's humor.

This earned a smile from Hazel, so he guessed it worked.

Finally, they reached the menacing black gates into the castle. "Home sweet home..." Hazel muttered. Neeks didn't even mind very much, he spent more time here than up above. To him, it kinda was home sweet home. It was a place where he wouldn't get bullied because of who his father was, at least. Well, there was Persephone, but he did his best to avoid her.

The gates swung open before them, thankfully. Two demigods, or even twenty, couldn't have opened those fifty foot tall gates.

"Son, daughter." Hades nodded. Hazel and Nico made their way quickly down the hall, where their father was waiting.

"Father." Nico dipped his head politely. Next to him, Hazel did the same.

"I was expecting you two earlier." Hades said. He didn't sound furious, but there was an icy anger resting in his tone.

"Yeah, real nice to send a skeleton to kidnap us." Nico muttered. "Apologies." He honestly hated being so polite and formal for his father, but he knew that disrespect would lead to some sort of punishment, like... Nico shivered, remembering when Persephone had turned him into a dandelion. Better to stay on his good side.

"The undead warrior was not to harm either of you." Of course, Hades hears all.

"You wanted to see us, um, Father?" Hazel asked, hesitantly.

"Ah yes, the question of the century. It has come to my attention that you two owe me some favors." Hades drawled.

"Favors? What favors?" Nico asked. He didn't recall Hades ever doing anything for either of them. If anything, Hades owed them some favors.

"Deeds in return for what I have done for you, do keep up child." Patronized Hades.

"I think he means what have you done for us?" Hazel said. Nico winced, that kind of talk could get her cursed down here, daughter of Pluto or no.

"You're one to talk, child. Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Hades smirked. Hazel and Nico both visibly paled, causing Hades' smirk to grow.

"I, erm..." Hazel stuttered.

"She means she's sorry, but please don't send her back." Nico pleaded. Hey, much as it tortured him, a little begging could mean life or death for his sister.

"And as for what I have done for my son, remember when you foiled my plans for you to be the prophesied child? And win you a place among the demigods who shun you?" Hades prodded. Nico certainty remembered. That was when he had accidentally tricked Percy into being captured by Hades. Nico had helped him escape, but if he hadn't, then Nico could have been the prophecies' child, earning both him and his father acceptance among their kin.

"I could have killed you then. You or that stupid son of Poseidon. But I didn't, and now I think you owe me a favor." The god of the underworld explained. "Even more, I gave you a home when no one else would, shared my powers with you, fed you, helped you grow up. Say what you will about me, but I do not abandon my children."

The kids in the room didn't speak.

"And Hazel, dear, I am the reason you are alive. If I hadn't kept your secret under lock and key, then the other gods surely would have killed you, if Persephone hadn't beaten them to it. I am the one who allowed Nico to bring you back. Greek or Roman, I do not abandon my own children." Hades finished.

Nico didn't deny it, Hades wasn't the worst father out there, not even by mortal standards. In fact, he was borderline good. Just out of practice. And kinda scary.

"So, the favors?" Hazel prompted.

"Right, of course." The smirk of death returned. "See, my new goal is ruling Olympus itself." He left the sentence there to hang in the silence. Hazel a eyes grew wide, and she placed a hand over her mouth in shock and horror.

Nico was also stunned, but not all that surprised. See, he had watched a mortal movie, Hercules, (totally inaccurate, by the way) but it had alerted him to the fact that Hades might actually go for the idea of ruling Olympus. It had scared him at first, but he hadn't thought it would actually happen.

Nico had been wrong.

A flash of movement to his left forced him to turn his head. It was Hazel, she had spun around and was now sprinting for the exit. That didn't really surprise him, either. Not a lot of things did.

The demigod turned back to his father, who was looking after his daughter, seemingly calm. Until you looked at his eyes. They had a silently anger within, and a poplar tree nearby burst into flames. The fire put itself out though, the anger subsided, and Hades sighed, putting a hand to his forehead.

"I thought that might happen." He said simply. He looked directly at Nico, giving him an uncomfortable feeling. Like he was expecting something.

"You can't really expect her to go against her friends, can you?" Nico said calmly. On the inside, he was running around screaming. If he had papers in hand, his inner self would have been scattering them everywhere. And kicking over potted trees.

"I had hoped." His father admitted. "It's a good thing you see sense, Nico. Otherwise everything would have been ruined." Nico's breathing quickened.

"I, erm, haven't actually agreed to anything..." Nico said quietly. If there was one thing he didn't want to do, it was piss off his dad.

But, as mentioned before, Hades hears all. "You haven't heard the plan yet."

"...What is it?" He asked hesitantly.

"Are you sure you don't have doubts?" Hades asked.

"Can I please get back to you tomorrow? I need to think." Nico's inner panic was beginning to soak through.

"Hmm, alright. But I expect you back here at this time tomorrow." What time was it? Nico looked at his watch, it was ten in the morning. Apparently he had been here for a while.

"Grazie." Nico dipped his head, and shadow traveled away.


	4. 4: Fun at Camp

**A/N: ITS LATE I FEEL BAD SO ITS EXTRA LONG**

He had betrayed his friends before.

He had betrayed his father before.

He had betrayed Camp Half-Blood before.

He had betrayed Camp Jupiter before.

So, yeah. Betraying wasn't really new to him. That sure as Hades didn't make it any easier, though. His thoughts were completely frenzied, he didn't know where he was shadow traveling to, and right now he didn't really care.

Apparently his subconscious did, though.

He stumbled from the shadows to find the only place besides the underworld he might call home. Camp Half-Blood.

Great. Just freaking fantastic. What were you thinking, subconscious?! Here? Really?

That was three times shadow traveling today, and in daylight no less. He didn't have the energy to go anywhere else. So, he slid down the base of a tree and landed on the ground with a thump. He just really hoped no one was nearby at the moment. He was in the woods, after all. He checked the time on his watch and saw that it was already one thirty here in Long Island. Prime time to train or hide in the shade of the forest.

Nico groaned, at this time of day there were probably campers all over the place. He began to get up, only to be stopped by the point of a sword. The son of Hades froze, and slowly looked up. Please not Clarisse, please do not be Clarisse.

It was worse than Clarisse.

It was Jason.

"Cazzo!" Nico yelped in Italian. Which should not need to be translated.

"Hazel told me what happened." Jason said, a stony look in his eyes that terrified Nico.

"Great." Nico muttered, not breaking gaze with Jason. Neither boy moved.

"I really wish I didn't have to do this, Nico, but..." Before Nico could react, Jason clubbed him with the butt of the sword. Nico fell over, not completely unconscious, but enough to stun him and make his vision go black.

Next thing he knew, the forest was flashing by him at an alarming rate. It made his head spin. More than it already was, anyway.

He tried to gather his bearings, he was staring at the ground, and a pair of shoes. And some jeans. And above that, the hem of an orange tee shirt. More importantly, his sword was nowhere in sight.

He had been slung over the shoulder of none other than Jason Grace. He could feel Jason's arm holding the back of his knees, making sure he didn't fall off. Or escape, Nico assumed.

"Put me down!" Nico exclaimed. He started kicking, but the pressure on his legs was greater than his struggling. He pounded his fists on Jason's back, but it did him no good. He debated rolling to freedom, after all the worst that could happen was more bruises.

Ah, well. Nothing to lose. Nico lurched to his right, forcing Jason to drop him. He landed on the ground hard, which could have been avoided if Jason wasn't freaking six feet tall. To fall six feet onto his back was probably not good for his health.

He scrambled into a sitting position and saw that he was surrounded by various weapons, all aimed at him. His heart was now beating at a rate Nico was positive wasn't good, and now he had more bruises.

"Don't make any sudden moves." A voice commanded. Great, this time it was Clarisse. And... More Ares kids, and a couple of familiar faces such as Piper, Leo, Jason, and, of course...

Percy. Just the man he wanted to see. Not.

"I'm not going to kill you." Nico muttered angrily, glaring at the faces surrounding him.

"Listen Nico, I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding." Percy said. He looked genuinely worried. Kudos to him. Leo and Piper, however, were glaring at him, as were all the Ares kids. Jason just looked confused. Seemed like the majority hated Nico. The odds were not in his favor.

"No, I'm pretty sure Hazel knew what she was talking about." Nico said. He mentally face palmed. He should not have said that.

"So you are a traitor?" Clarisse accused.

"Is that what Hazel said?" Nico asked. He had thought that Hazel, if not anyone else would support him.

"No, it's not." Jason hurriedly amended. "She means we heard some questionable things." Well, when you put it like that, Jason, it sounds /really/ questionable. "We would like to hear your side of things." Jason finished. Kudos to Jason.

"Is it possible for me to just leave?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, right." Clarisse said. "You're a traitor, Nico. You need to be questioned, at least."

Merda. This was just peachy.

"All right, just calm down." It was obvious to Nico that Piper was using charm speak, so it had no effect on him. "Nico, if you could stand up... Slowly..." She continued. That seemed a reasonable action for Nico, so he obliged.

There was silence, then "So is this why you wouldn't play volleyball this morning?" It was Leo. "So you plot against us with your daddy?" He sounded angry, but with a hint of sadness. Almost like he was... Hurt? Huh.

"No, I hadn't even planned visiting him until he called me." Nico explained calmly.

"Listen, until we get this sorted, how about you just stay in your cabin. That alright, Nico?" Percy asked.

"I guess...?" Nico answered. His cabin was always dark, so it would probably be easy to shadow travel away.

"Good. Then Jason and I can escort you." Percy nodded. Clarisse and her gang lowered their weapons, still on guard.

"Lead the way." Jason ushered him forward. Nico took a couple steps towards the safest place he knew, the Hades cabin. Which, luckily, was very close to where they were now.

It was just as he had left it. Black obsidian walls and green everlasting torches. With a skull above the door, of course. There were windows, but they were covered by thick black curtains on the inside.

He pushed the door open, revealing an almost pitch black interior. There was one bed in the corner, with black sheets. A door in the wall led to a small bathroom. There was nightstand with some drawers for clothes next to the bed. On top that was a lamp.

"Homey." Percy commented.

"This is where you live?" Jason asked, surprised.

"I don't really live anywhere, so no. Not really." Nico answered. Both of the older boys looked at him in pity. They were always acting like they were his brothers or something, he wished they would just stop.

"Well... We'll have someone keep an eye on you, ok?" Jason said.

"You mean so I don't go on a murderous rampage or something?" Nico asked. The sarcasm was heavy in his tone.

"I'll get some of the Hecate kids." Percy said, mostly to Jason. This confused Nico, he didn't know much about Hecate or her children. Apparently Percy did, though.

Jason sat down on Nico's bed, and patted the spot next to him. Nico blushed, but luckily the room was dimly lit.

He hesitantly sat down next to the blond superman, who smiled. "You wanna tell me what happened?" Jason asked. Well, at least he asked.

Nico sighed heavily. "I was visiting Hazel, Dad summoned us, he told us he wanted to rule, Hazel ran away, and I made a deal. Happy?" That was all he was getting.

"Deal?" Jason asked, leaning towards Nico in interest.

"I'll know what I'm gonna do by tomorrow morning." Nico answered. He was glaring at the floor, as if it had personally insulted him.

"Well, good! Cause you're obviously going to fight with us!" Jason said happily, gently hitting the smaller boy's back. Nico inched away.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do, actually." Nico muttered. Jason's face fell.

"What do you mean?" He asked carefully, suddenly on guard.

"I mean he's my father! What am I supposed to do?" The pale boy yelled in anger, standing up to pace violently around the room.

"Nico, he Hades, for Hades' sake!" Jason said abruptly. Nico laughed.

"Because you would be so willing to go against your father. At least you have a sister! A sister who's ALIVE! My father is my only family!" Nico shouted, voice rising. Angry tears fell from his dark eyes.

"But you're my friend!" Jason shouted back. "You're Percy's friend! You're Leo and Piper's friend! You're even Annabeth's friend, and that isn't very easy you know!" Jason yelled.

"Friends don't point weapons at each other." Nico stated, winding down from anger and sinking into sadness.

"Then what about Hazel?" Jason demanded quietly.

"She's not Bianca." Nico sunk into a corner. "Just leave me alone." Truth was, he was mad at her for abandoning him at their father's palace.

Jason sighed. Even he could see Nico's emotions radiating sadness and anger. Literally. Shadows were wrapped around the boy, making him hard to see.

The door flew open. Percy ran in, followed by a girl, with long blond hair. Nico couldn't remember her name, or if he ever seen her before. And right now, he really didn't care. Jason walked over to Percy, and started whispering. Nico probably could listened in if he wanted, but he didn't care and besides, it was obvious what they were discussing.

"Well, Nico, what do you suggest we do?" Percy asked the darkest corner of the room.

"Leave me alone, maybe? Let me leave without getting speared?" Nico suggested angrily.

"Well, you know Clarisse wouldn't let that happen." That's what Percy said, but Nico knew he no one trusted him. Not even Percy. Not even Jason.

"So am I just going to stay in here? Like a prisoner?" Nico bitterly asked.

"No, no. We'll figure something out, I swear." Jason quickly said. The Ghost King eyed him warily.

"Can you just try to be an ordinary camper?" Percy asked.

"Percy, my father is plotting to wage war on the gods. Which, obviously, means their children. Zeus has surely found out by now, and is probably going to attempt to kill me at every opportunity. Somehow I don't see that happening."

"My father and I would take you in, if we could." The blond girl behind Percy spoke in a voice that vaguely reminded him of the wind chimes at May Castellan's house. Nico assumed she was a daughter of Hecate, that's what Percy had been doing while the other two children of the big three had a shouting match.

"That's probably not the best thing place for Nico right now." Jason told her gently.

"Hey, you know what would be a good idea?" Percy said, holding a finger in the air. Nico wasn't sure he wanted to know. "What if Nico stayed with my mom, and with Paul?" Nico had been right. He didn't want to know.

"...Percy, what?" Jason deadpanned.

"Well, he obviously can't stay here, and I doubt Hades would be able to find him while he's living with mortals. It's the last place he would look for him!" Percy seemed really excited about a 'traitor' staying with some of the most important people in his life.

"Do I get a say in this?" Nico asked.

"Depends. What is your say?" Jason asked, smirking. Great, Jason was on Percy's side.

"I say, that I don't want to live with mortals." Nico stated, arms crossed.

"In that case, you don't get a say." Percy smiled. The son of Hades glared back.

"Don't worry, Nico. These are the people who raised Percy. They're bound to be extraordinary." The blond windchime voiced girl Nico still didn't know the name of said. Nico just glared at her in response. At times like these, it really seemed that the whole world was against him.

A knock sounded at the door. All four heads instinctively swiveled to see.

"Percy, Jason. Counselor meeting." It was Annabeth, poking her blond head into the door. She ducked back out. Percy and Jason glanced at each other, Nico could have sworn they were psychic.

"Have you done the ah, spells?" Jason was addressing the blond girl who was definitely not Annabeth.

"Not yet, I have to be outside." The daughter of Hecate answered.

"Well, then, come on. Bye Nico, we'll see you later." Percy waved.

"Hang on, I'm taking these." Jason paused. He walked over to the heavy black curtains, and just took them down from the wall. Obnoxiously bright sunlight poured into the room. Jason smiled. "Try to get a tan?" He teased the palest kid in camp.

Finally, Nico was alone. He heard the strange girl murmuring from the other side of the door.

Looking around, he realized that the shadows he had been relying on to escape had all but vanished in the now sunlight filled room. Merda.

Well, there was always the old-fashioned door. Luckily, it didn't even have a lock.

Of course, when Nico turned the handle, it didn't budge. Merda.

That's when everything clicked. Hecate was the goddess of magic. Blondy was her daughter. She had probably magically locked the door. Merda.

To be honest, Nico probably wouldn't have been able to shadow travel in the complete darkness. He was just too tired. He wanted a McDonald's.

He stumbled around the room for a bit. What now?

…

Sleep. Sleep now.

Nico collapsed onto his bed, on top of the covers fully dressed, shoes and all.


	5. 5: Dreaming

Demigods never have normal dreams.

Sometimes it's visions.

Other times, it's nightmares.

For Nico, it was normally the latter.

Awful, horrendous images of Michael Jackson from the Thriller music video flashed through his mind. Those yellow demon eyes, the elongated fangs... The camera just kept zooming in and in and in, lasting an eternity.

He remembered watching that in the Lotus Hotel and Casino with Bianca. It had scared both of them, after all they were only kids.

The image changed. Now he was in Hades' palace. Something told Nico to look at his watch. It was ten. He was supposed to have an answer about whether he would join his father or not.

"Well?" Hades said.

"I..." Nico found himself unable to speak. He still didn't know what he wanted to do.

"I thought so." Hades sighed. "Bianca would have done better." Oh, low blow.

"I don't know what to do, Father." Nico reached out on a limb, wishing for some fatherly advice.

"You have failed me. Begone!" Hades waved his hand, and Nico found himself in the fields of Asphodel. Souls started clinging to him, dragging him to the ground, smothering him.

"Hey! Get off!" Nico could feel himself being crushed. He was absorbed through the ground, and found himself in front of Percy, in the woods of camp.

"So, you joined your father after all." Percy said, sending glares of hatred and mistrust at Nico.

"No, Percy, it's not like that..." Nico tried.

"Save it, traitor. Now get out of my camp, I never want to see your face again." Percy said, turning and walking away.

Nico could feel tears falling down his cheeks, and he angrily wiped them away. He was stronger than this, he wasn't supposed to be weak enough to cry. But he knew he was.

"NICO, WAKE UP!" A loud voice yelled. Nico blinked his eyes open, feeling his shoulders being shaken violently. His left cheek stung.

"Are you okay?" The same voice said, calmer now that Nico was awake. He looked up to see Jason. Blond superman studied his hand, which had apparently slapped his cheek in an attempt to wake him up. "Were you crying?" Jason asked.

Nico blushed and wiped his sleeve across his face. It was damp. The dream had leaked into real life.

"No." He muttered. Jason frowned.

"Was it a nightmare or a vision?" Jason asked.

"Probably both." Nico said.

"Well... The camp counselors talked it over, and we think you staying with Sally is a good idea." Jason explained.

"Does Miss Jackson know?" Nico said, looking for an escape. A song popped into his head. Stupid ADHD.

"Yeah, Percy Iris messaged her. You leave with Percy tomorrow." Jason said.

"With Percy?" Nico asked.

"Today's the last day of camp, so yeah. By the way, school starts this week." Jason said. Nico couldn't figure out why he was smiling.

"Why is that relevant?" He asked.

"Sally wants you to go. So does Percy." Now Nico knew why Jason was smiling.

"Oh does he? Good luck to him, then." Nico said, agitated.

"It's a good high school. Paul teaches there, it's the only reason I haven't been kicked out yet." A wild Percy has appeared in the doorway!

"Hey Perc." Jason greeted. Nico said nothing.

"It's dinner time." Percy announced.

"Can I stay in here?" Neeker neeks asked.

"Nope, you need food."

So, Nico was dragged outside of his lovely safe little prison, and into the setting sunlight. Nico wasn't happy. Everyone kept looking at him. He shied behind Jason and Percy, blocking out the stares.

"And we can all sit together tonight. I cleared it with Chiron." Percy smiled, glancing down at the smaller demigod.

"Which table, do you think?" Jason wondered.

"Nico's." Percy decided. Nico huffed.

"You know what? I don't even care anymore." Nico said. "You guys just do whatever you want."

"That's the spirit!" Percy said.

The three sat down at the Hades table, whispers flying all around them. They just ignored them and carried on as normal.

Dinner was pretty awkward, Nico didn't really want to talk, and Jason and Percy weren't sure what to do. Eventually they all finished and escorted Nico back to his cabin.

"Alright, now that I have energy..." Nico muttered to himself. "I can try to shadow travel out of here."

He pulled the shadows around him, and felt the coldness they brought. He entered the shadowy portal.

...

And then he was back in his cabin. He hadn't moved an inch. Yet, somehow, he felt like he had traveled to China and back, again, in the daylight.

And so, for the second time that day, he collapsed on the bed and was asleep before he landed.


	6. 6: What

**A/N: *Is running out of inspiration/ideas***

"Hey, sleeping beauty. Time to wake up." A voice said. Nico fought against consciousness for a little bit, then rolled over into his pillow to block out the sunlight.

"Mmmmm." He mumbled.

"The Harpies are gonna eat you f you don't pack your bags and leave soon, you know." The mystery voice laughed.

"Don care." Nico muttered. He shivered, and noticed all of his blankets were gone. He rolled over to grab them from the floor, why was it so cold in here?

"Nope, you don't get blankets. Or warmth. Not until you wake up." A hand rested on his shoulder. And wow, that hand was really warm.

"You're warm." Nico said, putting his cold hand on top of the warmer one.

"Yeah, that's part of the Leo package." So, it was Leo. Not much of a mystery after all. Nico quickly withdrew his hand, awake enough to realize that he was holding Leo's hand. It was warm, though.

"Oh." Nico said simply. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. He really needed to stop passing out fully clothed.

"You're not that scary when you're asleep." Leo commented. Nico looked up at him, he was smirking.

"Sure I do." Nico said, scowling.

"Ya, well." Leo laughed. "You need to get packing." Nico glanced around the room, and down at himself. He straightened his shirt.

"Done." He said.

"...Oh. Right. Well, then, come on outside." Leo said, walking out the door. Nico followed, and sighed. This was the day he was going to be forced to live with Percy and his family. Well, he had visited before, but now he was going to actually live there, and go to… School.

Leo led him to the dining pavilion, where he grabbed a slice of toast to go.

The two walked around the pavilion, neither really wanting to sit down. They passed the crack in the stone near the forest, where Nico had shoved some skeletons back into the underworld when he was ten. That was before he knew who he was, and right after he had found out Bianca had died.

Needless to say, the spot brought back some not so pleasant memories.

"Are you ok with any of this?" Leo asked. Nico looked up at him, startled to hear him speak.

"Um, not really?" He responded.

"Well, if you look at it from a certain angle, it's not so bad. You don't have to fight against us, but I don't think Percy or anyone else will force you to fight with us. You'll be kept out of the way, especially since that Hecate girl put the spell on you." Leo said.

"What? Spell?" Nico asked, suddenly curious, and kind of shocked.

"Oh, man." Leo ran his hand through his hair nervously. "I really wasn't supposed to say that."

"What spell?" Nico repeated forcefully.

"She, um, she, kind of numbed out your powers..." Leo said.

"How so?"

"Well, you can't shadow travel, or summon the dead, and your demigod scent is pretty much gone. Basically mortal." Leo explained. Nico was surprised, to say the least. He didn't even know magic could do that.

"Are you kidding me?! This is just great." Nico said sarcastically.

"Well, now monsters, or your dad, can't find you." Leo said, trying to smile.

"You act like that's a good thing." Nico muttered.

"You want monsters attacking you?"

"Well, no, but I don't want to be mortal. It's bad enough I have to live among them for who knows how long." Nico ranted.

"Hey, at least we aren't forcing you to pick a side. Look at it through our eyes. We're keeping a potentially dangerous enemy out of commission, and you don't have to fight your own dad." Nico knew somehow that this was actually a great deal better than some of the alternatives, but he still wasn't happy. He was being 'put out of commission,' as Leo had called it.

"I… guess that's about as good as it can get?"

"Guess so."

Cue awkward silence. Thankfully, Percy came running up to the dou. Thank the gods. Wait, no. It's Percy. Nico knew that meant it was time to go. He will not thank any gods.

"Hey, Nico. Hey Leo." Percy greeted. He looked pretty happy, yet stressed on this fine Sunday.

"Heyo!" Leo said enthusiastically.

"Hey." Nico muttered.

"Oh, Nico. Mom wants to know what grade you're in." Percy said.

"I haven't gone to school since the military school in Maine when I was ten." Nico answered.

"Oh, right. Well, how old are you?" Percy asked.

"About… 90, I guess." Nico deadpanned. Percy gave him an unimpressed look.

"Come on, Nico. You know what I mean." Percy said.

"...I'm gonna go." Said Leo, who hadn't said anything in a while. He turned and walked away.

"I think I'm about fourteen." Nico said honestly. He wasn't sure if he had aged at all in the hotel. Thalia had been frozen in time, but she still had aged a couple years. So, Nico gave it his best shot.

"Freshie, then." Percy nodded.

"Is… that a good thing?" Nico asked.

"First year of high school. So, maybe." Percy said. Nico wasn't sure what Percy meant, but he figured mortal couldn't be harder than Tartarus. He went over to a nearby tree and knocked on it so that he didn't jinx it. Sure, it was a superstitious thing, but Nico was pretty sure either his mom or Bianca had taught him that. So, whatever.

"Better get going. It's 9:30 already." The fish Jesus said, looking at his watch. Hey, Percy was the son of the sea god, so technically he was fish Jesus.

"9:30?! I need to see my dad by ten!" Nico panicked.

"But he's in L.A. This is New York. Time differences, my friend. It won't be ten there until it's one here." Percy explained.

"I'm not sure that's how it works… but, okay, I guess." Nico shrugged.

"Alright my moms waiting so... We gotta go." Percy tugged Nico's sleeve, and started jogging towards the pine tree. He didn't let go of the sleeve.

"Percy!" Sally Jackson said upon seeing the two boys. "Hello, Nico." She added.

"Hello Mrs Jackson." Nico muttered. He was still going to be polite, but he didn't have to be happy about it.

"Please, call me Sally." She requested. Not like Nico would change anyways though. She was Mrs. Jackson. Always.

"Hey mom. Nico says he's a freshie." Percy said.

"Oh, that means for you school starts tomorrow. I guess I should call as soon as I can then." Mrs. Jackson said. Nico wasn't sure what she was talking about.

"Haha. You get two extra days of school." Percy joked. Nico just silently glared at him.

"Alright, into the car!"


	7. 7: Sleepover

**A/N; If anyone who reads this could help me with ideas, I have the next chapter planned out but nothing beyond that. Some help will earn you virtual cookies~**

The car ride was uneventful. It was barely half an hour from camp to downtown New York, and most of it was spent in silence. Both Mrs. Jackson and Percy attempted conversation with the son of the underworld, but to no avail.

"We're here!" Mrs. Jackson finally exclaimed.

"Yes!" Percy yelled, leaping out of the car. Nico silently crawled out. He was not happy with the situation, he would much rather just stay on his own. If that Hecate girl hadn't put that curse, erm, spell, on him, then he would have shadow traveled out a long time ago.

"Sorry we have a small apartment, Nico, but you'll have to share a room with Percy." Mrs. Jackson explained as she unlocked the door.

"It'll be fun." Percy assured.

"Sure." Nico grumbled. He looked anxiously at his watch, it was already past ten here in New York. He hoped that Percy was right about the different time zones.

"Paul! We're home!" Mrs. Jackson called. She opened the door and Nico saw a couch with a guy on it. Paul. Nico had met him a couple times, had helped him fight monsters even. Sure, that had been a year or two ago, but who's counting.

"Hello, Sally, Percy. And Nico, you've grown since I last saw you!" Paul smiled, ruffling Nico's hair. This was met with a glare. Like most things, these days.

"Don't worry about him, he's just mad that he starts school tomorrow." Percy said, also smiling. Yeah, sure, Percy. That's the reason I'm angry, Nico thought to himself.

Mrs. Jackson pulled out her cell phone. "I need to call the school." She said, walking into another room.

"Are you excited?" Paul asked.

"I am a demigod. From what I know, school doesn't mix well." Nico deadpanned.

"Well, Percy seems to be getting along fine." Says Paul.

"Yeah, it's not as bad as you might think." Percy comments.

"Alright." Whatever people might think, Nico was actually trying to be polite. He just hadn't had that much experience in talking with things that weren't dead.

"Well, if you need anything i'm going to the store." Paul said, and stood to leave.

"C'mon, Nico! My rooms this way!" Percy said, tugging Nico's wrist and dashing down the hallway.

It wasn't anything special, just a bedroom with blue walls, carpet, and bed. There was pictures of fish on the walls. Nico was only slightly worried for his cousin.

"You can… um, sleep on the floor over here, I guess." Said Percy, flashing an apologetic smile. "I'll go find some blankets." He dashed out of the room.

At this point Nico really wished he wasn't cursed with people who cared about him. It's cool that at least somebody actually cares, but then of course that somebody has to act upon it and mess everything up more than it was.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Nico knew he was just being stubborn and this really wasn't so bad, he could sleep with some blankets for once, and he could relax and not worry about monsters or his dad. At least for a little bit, he was safe. But, the teenage boy inside him was not going to change his attitude any time soon. He could take care of himself, and anyone who didn't agree should just watch him be him. They'll see. Nico wasn't some little kid who needed to be coddled, and he was independent. Had been for four years.

He kicked at a stray shoe on the floor, and thought of an escape. He needed to escape before school tomorrow. Because he really didn't want to go to that awful place. Then again, if Nico were to attempt to be positive about it, if he was at school then Percy and Mrs. Jackson and Paul couldn't watch him constantly.

Yes, perfect. Escape tomorrow, deal with a couple hours of school, and live as a mortal on the run until this all blows over. Flawless.

"Blankets!" Percy yelled, and Nico got a faceful of soft fuzzy stuff. He nearly fell over, suddenly holding at least three really thick comforters.

"It's summer, you know." Nico said, peering around the pile. Percy was grinning, like always.

"Then don't put all of them on. Put a couple on the floor, and make a mattress." Percy explained. Nico dropped the blankets onto a roughly clean part of the room. He glanced around, eyes finally landing on Percy.

"What now?" He asked. It was almost eleven in the morning. This day was dragging on forever.

"I dunno, something." Percy shrugged.

That night, Nico found it hard to sleep. He didn't mind being on the floor, he had slept in alleyways before. This was a step up.

No, he was just tense. He could hear Percy breathing. And shifting. Rolling over. Nico was also constantly worried about the shadows. Three reasons: His father's helm of darkness, fear of nightmares, and, well, Tartarus. It had been pretty dark and scary there, too. Nico really liked to avoid that subject.

So, anyway, after staring at his watch in the dim light for a couple hours, he drifted off around four in the morning.

To his surprise, when he woke up, he couldn't remember his dream. Neither a nightmare, or a vision. He was pretty much mortal.


	8. 8: Mortal School Blegh

**A/N: Hello~ It's Sundayyyy! Not gonna lie, I wrote almost all of this today. BUT I got it in on time. Thanks for suggestions, and encouragement, I will incorporate some ideas in the next chapter. MORE IDEAS WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.**

The school looked nice enough. It was big, and probably old, judging by the worn brick look. It looked too happy, though. He could see freshmen being ushered through the doors, the upperclassmen laughing at their confusion. Nico was most surprised at the sheer amount of people. How could there be so many mortals in one place? And this was only young mortals. They probably each had two parents and probably siblings, too. Nico had never thought about how outnumbered the demigods were.

"Nico, freshmen can go that way, with that group over there." Percy pointed towards the youngest mortals. Nico nodded.

When he got to the group, he stayed to the back and couldn't hear whoever was talking. Suddenly everyone started walking towards the doors, on instruction from an adult probably. Nico followed, staying in the back, hopefully unseen for the most part.

"Hey." A voice to his right said. He turned to see a short blond boy in a hoodie with big black "hipster" glasses and a beanie. Probably trying to be cool.

"Hello." Nico muttered.

"My name's Rowan. What's yours?" The boy asked. Nico wasn't really in the mood to talk.

"Nico."

"Cool." Rowan said. The two walked together in awkward silence, neither daring to speak. They followed the group of freshmen down the halls, and there were a ton of freshmen. It was probably at least ten minutes before they got to the gym, where an orientation was being held. Honestly, it would have been easier to just send the kids there in their own time instead of gathering them outside. Stupid mortals.

There were chairs set out for them, and as he sat down Rowan sat next to him. He assumed this kid had no friends, or he wouldn't be wasting his time trying to talk to Nico.

Then a lady who acted overly perky stood on a small platform in front and began a long boring speech.

"We're so happy you're here!"

"You'll love the school!"

"The teachers are amazing!"

"Everyone is super nice!"

It was obvious to Nico it was all lies. Well, it might be nice for other people, but Nico knew he was the kind of person that would have a less than pleasant experience.

"What a load of crap." Rowan muttered. Nico nodded out of instinct. It seemed someone agreed.

"Alright kiddos! If your last name starts with an A through C then follow me!" The really annoying lady said. Nico wasn't entirely sure if di Angelo counted as and A or a D, but he stood up anyway. To his disappointment, Rowan stood up too. Nico followed the other people who had stood up, and was overly aware of Rowan behind him.

The day dragged on, and Nico was bored out of his mind. This place was full of uncaring teenagers and overly happy adults. He hadn't seen Percy all day, which was something to be happy about. He did see a lot of Rowan, however. The kid had practically stuck to him like glue the entire morning. He didn't attempt conversation, but it seemed like he really wanted to. Nico did not want to talk, though.

Soon enough, it was time for lunch. Nico had told Mrs. Jackson that he would prefer to buy his own lunch, with his own money. This was a lie, he didn't have any money, and really just wasn't hungry. So now Nico was sitting at a picnic table outside, alone.

"Can I sit here?" A voice asked. Nico pretty much already knew who it was, who else would talk to him? He turned to see -he guessed it- Rowan. Nico nodded, and looked down at the table.

"So… um, do you play any games?" Rowan asked nervously. Nico was slightly surprised. They hadn't talked all day, and this was what he decided to say?

"I, uh, used to play Mythomagic, when I was younger." Nico said. Why not talk to someone for once.

"When you were younger? I still play it now." Rowan said, grinning.

"Cool." Nico shrugged. He didn't really like to talk about Mythomagic anymore, it reminded him too much of his sister. And now Nico was sad.

"Any other games?" Rowan asked.

"No, not really."

"Oh, really? You've got to play this one game! It's super cool, it has mysteries, and monsters, and you can play it without a computer, too." Rowan got really excited. Nico wasn't sure why. It's just a game. "Here, let me show you." He turned and reached into his bag, pulling out something that Nico wasn't sure he had seen before.

"What's that?" Nico asked. Rowan looked at him, surprised.

"It's an Ipad. For games and stuff?" Rowan looked kind of confused. Which confused Nico.

"Huh." Nico said simply. He was curious. In all of his traveling, he had seen an Ipad before, but hadn't known what it was. He leaned over to look at it.

"See?" Rowan pressed a button on the side, and the screen lit up. "And now we just go to the game…" He pressed a few more buttons.

"What game is it?" Nico asked.

"Slenderman. I'm not sure why, cause I don't think he's a man, and I wouldn't call him slender, but it's cool." Rowan shrugged. Nico looked at the screen, not sure what to expect. First is a title screen. 'He is back.' Written in blood. Then choose a setting: night or day. Rowan tapped day, and the game began.

"All I remember is that I need to find the signs." Rowan read aloud. "So, basically, you walk around this spooky forest, and look for notes. They say creepy stuff, like 'he's here' or 'no one will find your body'" Rowan explained. The screen showed a scene where it seemed like you were in the forest. It was kind of unnerving, even though Nico knew it wasn't real.

"And here's a sign!" Rowan said. A paper appears on the screen, saying 'He's always watching.'

"What's the point of this?" Nico asked.

"To find the notes without dieing." Rowan said.

"How are you supposed to die? Tripping over a branch?"

"No… like… hang on." Rowan walked around the misty forest some more. The screen started to get scratchy, and hard to see where you were going. Rowan stopped walking. He waited, then made his character turn around.

"Like that!" He yelled. On the screen, there was a faceless white head, in a suit. Nico jumped back, he was not expecting that. Rowan laughed. "And that's Slenderman."

"What in Hades was that?" Nico muttered. Rowan only laughed harder.

"Nico!" A voice yelled. Nico looked up, and saw Percy walking towards him.

"Hello." Nico greeted. Seeing Percy reminded him that he was here against his will, and that he was angry about it.

"How's it going?" Percy asked, sitting down next to Nico. He glanced sideways at Rowan. "Made a friend?" Nico just shrugged.

"Hi, my name's Rowan." Rowan said, holding out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Percy, Nico's cousin." Percy shook Rowan's hand. "Alright, I'm gonna go. Have fun!" Percy ruffled Nico's hair, and walked off to do Zeus knows what.

"Seems like a nice guy." Rowan remarked.

"Too nice, in my opinion." Nico muttered.

"Hey, want to come my place after school? We could play more games." Rowan suggested. Nico looked at him, eyes wide, and actually considered it.

It would be after school, and no Percy or Mrs. Jackson. He could run. Or he could be a good little boy and go straight home after hanging out with a friend. But no. Nico only felt a little bit guilty for planning to use Rowan as an escape.

"Yeah, sure."


	9. 9: New York has a lot of apartments

**A/N: Wrote all of this today, but got it done. Review please! It really does help!**

Once the day was over, Rowan turned to face Nico.

"So you still wanna come over, right?" Rowan asked.

"Yeah." Nico replied.

"Alright, I should probably tell my mom though." Rowan proceeded to pull a phone out of his pocket, and tap some buttons. Nico wondered if he should call Mrs. Jackson, but decided against it. Percy was sure to come and find him anyway.

Laughter behind him startled Nico. He turned, and saw that the hallway was filling up, all of the other kids were about to go home. It was strange, and kind of overwhelming, seeing all of those people suddenly appearing behind him. He had been so lost in thought all day, and hadn't been paying much attention. He wanted to kick himself, being a demigod meant that you couldn't zone out even for a second!

He took a good look around, saw that here there was mainly older kids. Maybe all of the freshmen had gotten out as soon as they could? He could see groups of guys in strange leather jackets, and girls giggling and putting on makeup. There were lots of different groups, and it was strange to Nico that they stayed so separate. Nico wasn't in one of those groups, he was just awkwardly standing next to Rowan while he talked on the phone.

"Good news, she said yes!" Rowan said, grinning. "Do you need to call your mom?" He asked. Nico cringed a bit.

"Ah, no. I'm just going to see if I can find Percy." Nico grimaced.

"Oh, your cousin? Are you staying with him for the school year?" Rowan asked.

"Maybe, I'm not sure." Nico answered.

"Well, let's go find him then." Rowan said. Nico nodded. He started down the hallway, weaving between the many people.

Eventually, they reached the end of the hallway without incident, and still no sign of Percy. Nico would rather leave without telling him, but he knew that his best chance of escape was if Percy thought Nico was at a friend's house, instead of MIA.

Before they could resume the search, Percy found them. "Nico!" He said. "I've been looking for you. Ready to go?"

"Well, Rowan invited me to his house, so can I go home with him?" Nico asked. He hated having to ask in the first place, normally he would have been able to do whatever he wanted. But, he figured Percy would respond better to a question rather than a demand.

To Nico's displeasure, Percy narrowed his eyes. "I'm not an idiot."

"Oh, come on. It's just normal stuff, going to a friend's house. Are you suddenly against me having friends?" Nico glared back.

Percy sighed. "Fine. But," He looked at Rowan, who had been staring at the floor uncomfortably, "I'm going to need your phone number." Rowan's eyes widened.

"Um, yeah, okay." He said nervously, then gave the number while Percy wrote it down on a piece of paper.

"I'm going to be checking up on you." Percy said, pointing to Nico. Then he turned and walked away. Nico rolled his eyes.

Rowan raised his eyebrow. "Tensions high?" He asked.

"No, he just doesn't trust me." Nico said. It was strange how he could talk to a random mortal boy more openly than to another demigod. Well, the mortals didn't know who his father was. That could be one reason.

"Well, we should probably start walking." Rowan said.

"Walking?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, I live pretty close to the school." Rowan shrugged. They found the nearest door and stepped outside. "This way." He said, turning left. They walked almost a whole block before Rowan decided to speak again.

"So, why are you living with your cousin?"

"I'm, um, my aunt thought it would be a good idea." Nico forced out. He had no clue what to say, was he supposed to say that he had been kidnapped against his will? Ok, that was exaggerating a bit. Only a bit, though.

"Why aren't you with your mom and dad?" Rowan asked innocently.

"Drop it." Nico growled.

"I- ok." At least Rowan wasn't pushy. Silence descended. Well, as quiet as it gets walking next to a busy highway in New York.

A couple minutes later, Rowan said, "I don't live with my dad."

Nico turned to look at him. "Divorce?" He guessed. Rowan just shrugged.

"When I was little, maybe. Don't really remember." Nico was suddenly intrigued in this annoying kid. What if he was a demigod? Doubted it, he seemed pretty calm for a demigod. And he was fourteen, probably, so he should have definitely been claimed by now. Besides, mortals did get divorced, and didn't always stick around.

"I'm sorry." Nico said simply. Rowan shrugged again.

"I have a step dad, and he's really cool, so I don't really care. Don't feel sorry for me." Rowan's voice took a darker tone with this. "Turn here."

"What?"

"Turn, we're almost there." Rowan pointed down a road. The two turned, and walked down a side street into a nice neighborhood. And by neighborhood, he meant apartments. Because it's New York. Does everyone in New York live in apartments? Seemed like it.

"Seems nice." Nico commented.

"Yeah. Come on, up here." Rowan led the way up some stairs on the outside of the building. A couple floors up, they stopped in front of a door. Rowan opened it, and stepped into a large living room, filled with a large couch, big flatscreen TV, and a piano in the corner. Towards the left there was a transparent door leading presumably to the kitchen. There was a hallway leading elsewhere to the right.

They stepped around the couch, and Rowan started down the hallway. "That's my room on the right." He continued to the next door, and poked his head in. "Mom, I'm home." He said.

"Oh, how was your day? Is the school as good as the name?" A woman's voice laughed. Nico peered his head around Rowan, and saw a normal lady sitting at a desk next to a bed.

"Well, it was pretty much just like middle school, except everyone's older." Rowan commented.

"Oh, and is that your new friend?" Rowan's mother asked, walking over to the door. Just then, Rowan's phone started to ring.

"Yeah, he is, I'll be right back." Rowan exited the room, leaving Nico behind.

Extending a hand, Nico said, "Hello, my name is Nico di Angelo." The lady shook his hand, mildly amused.

"Janine Bryant. Nice to meet you." Rowan walked back into the room.

"Nico, it's for you." He said, obviously hiding a smile. Nico raised his eyebrow, and took the phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Nico. So he wasn't lying." Nico grimaced, it was Percy. Checking up on him, just like he said he would.

"Lying about what?" Nico asked.

"I asked if you had run off yet. Turns out you haven't." Percy said, probably laughing.

"Oh, right. Are we done here?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I'll call again later." Percy said.

"Bye." Not knowing what to do, he handed the phone back to Rowan. Rowan pressed a button, then looked at Nico questioningly.

"Come on, we can go play games now." Rowan tugged Nico's sleeve, effectively pulling him out of the room and back down the hallway, and into the room Rowan had said was his.

"So, this is my room, and more importantly, what did Percy mean when he asked if you had run off yet?" Rowan asked, with a strangely serious face.

"Oh, inside joke." Nico lied. "Speaking of that, he also mentioned that I have to go soon." More lying.

"How soon?" Rowan asked. He looked as if he knew, or at least suspected that Nico was lying.

"Really soon.

"Do you need a ride?"

"No, it's pretty close from here." Nico really had no idea where he was, but it didn't really matter. He probably couldn't even get back to the school if he had wanted to. Yet again, it didn't matter.

"Are you sure?" Rowan asked, not breaking eye contact.

"Positive." Nico said, with maybe a hint of reservation. He looked away.

"Alright. But let me get you a snack, you didn't eat lunch." Rowan said.

"If it makes you feel better." Rowan darted out of the room to get some food. Nico figured that some food wouldn't hurt, since he wasn't sure if the ambrosia he always carried would be of use with being mortal and all.

Rowan came back with a bag of chips and a couple of granola bars. "Sun chips. Good for being in the sun. Also granola bars because they have good stuff in them."

It almost felt like Rowan knew. "Why so much food?" Nico asked.

"I dunno." Rowan shrugged. "You _are_ kinda skinny." He smiled.

"Alright, I have to go now." Nico said, accepting the food and stuffing it into his jacket pockets.

Rowan nodded, looking right into Nico's eyes.

Nico left the apartment building, and started running.


	10. 10: An Old Rocking Chair

**A/N: This chapter is awful, I'm so sorry. It's completely filler, but at the same time kind of necessary if you know what I mean? And yes, Percy will be very angry at Nico, if he can find him. But, Nico doesn't really want to be found.**

Nico was tired way earlier than he expected. He had only sprinted about three blocks before he ran out of breath, surprising him.

He leaned back against the wall of a store, and slid to the ground. He tried to catch his breath, and a couple minutes later he succeeded. He wasn't sure why he was so weak, but he knew it had something to do with that spell that ruined everything.

Eventually Nico realized that he had only eaten two pomegranates within the last two days. Not even any ambrosia like he normally ate. He still didn't want to risk burning to ashes with that, though. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out one of the three granola bars Rowan had given him.

Nico was pretty sure that Rowan had known what he was doing, with the call from Percy hinting that he might try to run away. Luckily, Rowan hadn't turned him in, or tried to stop him. He was a good kid. Too bad he would never talk to him again.

Nico stood up and began to walk, eating a granola bar as he went. Downtown New York, or at least that's what he assumed it was, turned out to be busier than Nico expected. He could hardly walk without bumping into someone, he had no idea how he had sprinted through this crowd.

While he was waiting at a stoplight, he noticed more than one person giving him odd looks. Strange, even with his aura of death and sadness people still feared him. He shrugged, the light changed. He walked across the street with the large crowd of people, trying not to think too much.

And so he walked. By the time it was getting dark, Nico had neither slowed nor quickened his pace, and was probably miles away from Rowan's apartment by now.

As the light dimmed, Nico figured he should probably find a place to sleep. He was actually tired, for once. He started to peer into the alleyways as he passed them by. Most were damp, it rained in New York a lot.

He wished he had a bit of money, there were some pretty cheap motels here.

Luckily enough, Nico eventually found an old rocking chair sitting in a dark little alley. Perfect. It wasn't too worn, nor too damp. Nico sat down, and leaned on one of the arms.

Then, the air in front of him shimmered. Suddenly, Percy could be seen, his image floating in the air.

"NICO! Where have you been?! I've been looking-" Before Percy could continue, Nico slashed his hand through the mist, closing the connection. He doubted that Percy could figure out where he was from that, but he didn't want to take any chances. He really didn't intend for anyone to find him.

Kinda nice that someone was trying, though.

Nico sighed, and relaxed into the chair. But he couldn't sleep. Images flashed through his mind, reminding him of everything that had happened in the last two days.

His father, for one. He had been avoiding thinking about it, but what was Nico going to do? He didn't want his father to lose in a war against the other gods, which he most likely would, but he knew that if his father did win, then most of Nico's friends wouldn't survive.

Percy would want him to fight for Camp. But how could anyone possibly understand what position that would put Nico in? He and his father were finally on good terms! Or…

Could Hades have been manipulating Nico for the past couple years, so that he could be used to take over Olympus?

Now that was not something Nico wanted to think about. He refused to believe it, not even for one second. That's what Zeus, Chiron, Jason, Percy, and all the rest would want him to think. They were the real enemies here.

As soon as he thought that, he wished he could take it back. They weren't his enemies! They were his friends! Nico was suddenly angry at himself. It's not like him picking a side would determine the winner, anyway. It probably wouldn't even affect anything. Why was everyone so set on using him?

That's it, Nico decided. No more trusting people. From now on, Nico could only trust himself.

But not even himself! He was powerless, indecisive, and weak. Above all, he was just a kid.

His thoughts drifted back to Rowan. He really envied him, just being a simple mortal with simple mortal problems had to be so easy.

Nico stood from the chair in favour of pacing the alleyway, not caring about the night getting darker and darker.

He was hungry, and tired, and cold, and angry. And no one cared. Bianca would have cared. Oh gods, he missed her. His anger drifted into melancholy, and he sank back into the old rocking chair.

He hid his face in his jacket sleeves, praying that no mortal would happen to look into the alleyway.

He felt tears sliding down his cheek, but not a sound was heard.

He was just so alone, and he was tired of it being this way.

With these lovely thoughts filling his mind, Nico drifted off into sleep.


	11. 11: Hunger is Murder

**A/N: I know it's kind of late, but I wanted to make it longer. plus, some stuff actually happens in this one! And also, know what makes me happy? Ideas! I'm running very low, to be honest. Low enough that I'm not sure how to continue it. Anyway, here's chapter 11.**

When Nico woke up, the first thing he heard was his stomach growling. Followed shortly by a fierce pain in his stomach.

He had to eat, ASAP.

Holding an arm around his stomach, he pulled himself out of the rocking chair, and stood up on shaky legs.

This didn't normally happen. Normally, Nico could go for a week or two eating nothing but ambrosia.

Nico stepped out of the dark alleyway into the morning sunlight. It was about eight or nine in the morning, if he had to guess. He set off down the sidewalk, looking for a place that might have food. You know, food he wouldn't have to steal.

Because Nico didn't really want to steal food, but if the alternative was starving… Well, that would get him out of this mess, at least. Or no, that would get him a one way ticket directly to his father's palace.

That settles it, no dying. Not until this is all gone away.

After walking a bit more, stomach pain increasing by the minute, he spotted it.

His saviour.

The golden arches, representing the most wonderful place of food in the entire world. Nico's face slipped into a smile, and he started to walk faster, suddenly with motivation.

He didn't have money, and he didn't want to steal, but Nico figured he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

The pleasant aromas of fast food nearly punched Nico in the face as he walked in. He stood in the doorway, a smile on his face as he inhaled the scent of America.

Sure, maybe he was being a bit over dramatic, but he was hungrier than he could ever remember being in his life.

His smile fell as he contemplated exactly how he was going to get some food. Smelling it just made the hunger worse.

Nico slid into a booth, since that seemed like a good place to start. There was a fry or two on the ground, but Nico hadn't stooped that low. Yet.

The McDonalds was kind of crowded, most of the tables were full but there were still several open ones. It was noisy, but Nico didn't mind. It would look a lot more suspicious if he had been the only one inside.

Anyways, Nico was drawing a blank on how to acquire any food. If he asked for some, people would ask questions. Plus, that would mean begging, and the Ghost King did not beg. Nico sighed.

Behind him was a family with a couple and their young child. The kid was laughing, a lot. It was starting to get on Nico's nerves. She was in a highchair, she was so young.

"Mommy! Look at this toy! It goes in my hair!" The little girl shrieked. Nico glanced at the family out of the corner of his eye. The kid had gotten a plastic bow, and her mother was busy clipping it into her daughters short hair. The father was sitting beside his wife, watching with a stern face. He wasn't that strict, though. He let a smile slip every now and then.

Nico's eyes drifted through the rest of the people. No threats were detected.

Then, something hit his head. Nico jumped, but was relieved and in fact happy that an entire chicken nugget had just landed in his lap. He looked up, the little girl was smiling at him while her mother looked surprised, to say the least. The father looked amused.

As Nico's gaze drifted back to the piece of food, he quickly tossed it into his mouth, savoring the amazing taste of unhealthiness. The mother's face was even more shocked-looking, as the father's turned into a frown. The kid just giggled more.

The man stood, and Nico swallowed nervously. He slid into the booth next to Nico, effectively cutting off his one escape route. This was… Well, this was bad.

"Hungry, son?" He asked. Nico took a deep breath, but didn't say anything. "Where are your parents?"

"Um, they're waiting for me outside…" Nico mumbled. It was a terrible lie, but he had been caught off guard, not to mention he had had a rough few days and was hungry out of his mind.

The guy raised an eyebrow, and said, "I am a police officer, I can tell when people lie."

Well that's just great. A cop. Nico had to admit, he probably looked kind of suspicious in his all black clothing and thick jacket. Not to mention he ate a slightly used chicken nugget.

"What was your name?" The officer asked.

"Ni- Nick." Nico said, barely catching himself.

"Mm-hmm. Well, Nick, if you come back to station with me we can find your parents. They must be worried." Yeah, sure. Maybe. Nico thought. But Percy and Sally are probably pissed.

"No, I'm meeting them in a little while." Nico said firmly.

"Now, let's not make a scene. Come back to the station with me, you can call them from there. Come on." Then the guy took Nico by the arm, and pulled him out of the booth. Nico guessed that not eating had taken a larger toll than expected, with minimal force he had slid out of the booth easily. He was lighter than he would have guessed.

With a hand firmly planted on his shoulder, Nico was led out of the McDonald's and towards a minivan. The lady and her kid were following behind them. Is this what being a normal kid feels like? Breaking the law, being rebellious?

As he was being pushed into the car, he had a moment of panic. What if this guy wasn't really a cop? Was he being kidnapped by mortals? Isn't that what mortal teenagers were always afraid of? And wasn't Nico now basically a mortal teenager?

It was a Tuesday, if he was a cop, then wouldn't he be in full uniform, with a car and stuff?

Well, what a mess he had landed himself in. But, Nico reasoned, he was probably making something out of nothing, and this guy was a cop, and he was probably only trying to help. Innocent until proven guilty.

Nico was told to sit in the back row of the van, while the lady and her daughter sat in the middle row, the man driving up front. As Nico thought, he couldn't see a way out. He would normally start throwing punches or something, but Nico hadn't really dealt with cops before. Plus, if they were going to a police station, then there would be a ton of them, and they were all trained to stop people probably much bigger than Nico from getting away. For now, he just had to go with the flow and keep looking for a solution.

The police station wasn't far away, so even though the streets were packed they still got there within twenty minutes. By now Nico had calmed down a bit, enough to think rationally. He could run, but he defiantly didn't have the energy or strength for that. He could be arrested, but that would be awful in itself, even if it would shield him from not only Camp but his father, too. A demigod with ADHD stuck in a prison cell for Zeus knows how long? Bad idea.

For now, all he could do was wait.


	12. 12: Lost and Found

**A/N: I'm thinking about renaming this story. Yay or nay? Also, I think I may have figured out where this is going, but nothings set in stone yet! Anyways, enjoy chapter 12!**

The police station wasn't very loud. It had a sense of business, but it was more of a white noise in the background. As Nico was led in by the probably-police-officer he glanced around, looking for possible escape routes. There was a door behind the front desk, most likely leading to an office. Maybe a window?

There was a hallway off to the right, filled with closed doors. No telling where they would lead. Possibly into dangerous mortal criminals.

See, normally Nico wouldn't be worried about anything the mortal world had to throw at him, but there were still dangers. First, they didn't disappear in smoke if you stabbed them. Besides, demigod blades just go through them anyway. And the other main issue was that big rule of not revealing the existence of half-bloods to anyone.

And if they had a background check, Nico was positive that he wouldn't show up in the records. He would probably be shipped off to some secret government facility, like in alien movies.

So yes, there was cause to worry and it wasn't just in Nico's head.

All of his thoughts happened within roughly twenty seconds from walking through the door. The cop, who was so far unnamed, led him to the desk, a hand ever resting on his shoulder.

"Found this kid at McDonald's, half starving. We need to find his parents. And, probably get him some food." The officer explained to the man at the front desk. Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Did he just look like a helpless kid to everyone he met? It had been bad enough at camp with Percy and Jason, and almost everyone else (not to mention Sally and Chiron and the like). And now mortals were taking pity on him, too?

"Well, kid? What's your name?" The desk man asked.

"Nick." Nico was not planning on explaining more than that.

"What is your mother's name?"

"Maria." At least that wasn't a lie.

"Father?"

"Don't know." Out of the corner of his eye, Nico spotted another man walk in, holding drinks.

"Oh, well I'm sorry about that. Ah, yes hello Phil." The man sitting behind the desk said. There was a name card on the table, but Nico was too low on energy to try to decipher it, being dyslexic and all.

"Brought your coffee, sir." This Phil guy said handing him a cup. "Oh, you found him already. That was fast." He remarked, looking at Nico with an odd expression of surprise.

"Found him? What do you mean?" The guy behind Nico said. The hand on his shoulder tightened slightly.

"Oh, a woman came in yesterday day with a missing kid report. It's him, right? I was just about to go hang up these flyers." Phil handed the receptionist one of the papers he had been holding under the coffee holder. Nico was suddenly aware that Sally Jackson had most definitely filed a missing person report the moment he went missing.

Nico was going to be in so much trouble, and he knew it. That's why he had to get out of there. And fast, before they called and Percy showed up. That would lead him to a one way ticket to Clarise. And that would be really bad.

So, it was time for evasive maneuvers. He spun around and twisted the hand on his shoulder, kicking him in the backs of the knees for good measure. The man lost his balance and fell to the ground. Nico turned and sprinted to the door, reaching out to open it when a yank on the back of his jacket pulled him backwards and off balance.

Ironically enough the hand that had jerked him back also kept him from falling. Nico registered that it was Phil, who had dropped all of the flyers- with his face on them, creepy, - and was now looking down at him.

Nico raised his eyebrow and smirked in amusement. They thought they could keep the Ghost King? Well, they were about to be shown how wrong they were.

Even with his demigod powers gone, he had given his death glare enough times for it to still work, not to mention his ice cold skin. At his intense gaze, Phil let go of Nico, stumbling backwards. Nico took this moment to dash to the door, and quickly get lost in the crowded streets.

He could hear shouting behind him, but Nico was too nimble and fast for them, not to mention smaller. He could weave in between the people, while his pursuers could not.

There! A bus was loading passengers. Perfect. Nico slowed his speed, and casually walked onto the bus. Luck seemed to be on his side, you didn't need money to board.

It was pretty crowded, as this is New York City. Not too difficult, though, as Nico slipped into an empty seat in the back. He wasn't sure where the bus was going, but it didn't really matter. It was putting distance between him and that police station, if not also Percy and Camp. He hoped he wasn't getting closer to that.

First things first, he needed to get rid of this spell. Though it had enabled him to lie low, Nico couldn't take it anymore. He felt weak, defenseless. His power over the dead was what made him unique, and it was cruel to ever take that away from him.

He suddenly felt angry at the demigods. Leo was the one who had told him about it, even though he wasn't supposed to. He was grateful for that, it would have been so much worse if he had been kept in the dark. But, Leo had known about it, and hadn't stopped it, and wasn't actually planning on telling him.

He was mostly just mad that they had made that decision. It was obvious now more than ever that they didn't trust him. That was unnecessary, to say the least.

It hadn't helped their cause, either. If they didn't trust Nico, then Nico could never trust them. There had been a chance that he would have helped the demigods, but that chance had been destroyed.

As for his father… Well, he hadn't done anything harmful as of yet. Though Nico was still wondering if he had been manipulated this entire time.

Most gods were awful parents. Why was Hades, the "evil, dark, scary" god the one good dad? Hades was manipulating, that was a fact. But how long had he been planning this? Long enough to have been playing Nico from the start?

Nico knew he wasn't joining the demigods, but his suspicions of his father prevented him from joining him, either.

And these were the reasons he had to stay out of it altogether. He was powerless, easily defeated, but he was untraceable. They wouldn't be able to find him, at least not easily. Not his father, not Percy, and gods forbid not Zeus. That would be a worst case scenario.

So, he could travel the country, never staying one place too long, or he could get his powers back, and pick a side. He knew what the easy choice was. But was that the right choice?


End file.
